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The notion of Holistic Survival is based on the idea that survival in uncertain times requires an all-encompassing or “holistic” approach to be successful. As a way to articulate this principle, we have prepared “The Ten Commandments” of Holistic Survival as a guide for preserving your personal and financial wellbeing in the current volatile environment. The importance of these guidelines is found in the fact that the world is becoming more complex and uncertain at a frighteningly fast pace. Thus, the strategies of yesterday are no longer suited for the environment of tomorrow.

The Ten Commandments (continued)

6. Thou shaltcontrol what is put into thy own body

Health and nutrition are an important part of survival in a catastrophe. Thus, it is extremely important that you control what you put into your body so that it can work at top performance and heal itself adequately in a crisis situation. This is doubly important if you have a family to take care of, because crisis situations will require extensive manual labor and may also see you needing to care for small children who do not have the capacity to care for themselves. One thing that can be done as a regular form of practice is to prepare meals without processed or packaged ingredients. Processed food is certainly convenient, but it is not likely to be available in a crisis situation.

7. Thou shaltdefend thyself

It is entirely likely that a crisis situation will invoke looting and rioting. It is also likely that these activities will be heavily concentrated in urban areas with large populations of people who will be simultaneously without resources. Desperate people tend to do desperate things. Similarly, desperate measures will create lots of chaos, and this chaos is frequently concentrated in the areas where there is the most desperation. The principal areas expected to be the target of chaos are metropolitan urban areas with high levels of population density. The more remote suburban, exurban, and rural areas are not expected to be in much danger from riots, due to the difficult of organizing a mob sufficient for it to move out into the suburbs. Since it is not practical to move out of the city for the express purpose of being safe from riots, it is highly advisable for people living in dense cities to engage in very careful preparations for the contingency of a descent into chaos.

It is also possible that you will need to defend your family from attackers, even if prudent preparations have been made. Precautions such as security systems, martial arts training, and access to weapons may help to ward off attackers if conditions turn desperate. It is important to note that many items that are not typically considered as “weapons” can be used to defend your family if necessary. Regular household items such as steak knives, tire irons, mop handles, and frying pans can be the difference between keeping your family safe and being looted by rioters.

8. Thou shaltpossess and control universally needed goods and resources

The current economy depends upon currency-based exchanges. In practical terms, this means that everybody accepts dollars in exchange for goods and services. Consider what will happen in the event of severe inflation. What if dollars decline in value, and are no longer accepted in exchange for food, gas, or clothing? In the event that commerce regresses back to barter and trade, you will want to control goods and resources that are universally needed so that you can trade them for other things that your family requires. Typical barter items are things like non-perishable food, gasoline, medical supplies, over-the-counter medication, and maybe even gold, silver, cigarettes, alcohol, or ammunition. This strategy can also be extended to your investment portfolio. The most effective way is by shifting your investments away from “paper assets” such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, and purchasing items of universal need, such as rental housing. By denominating your investments assets in “things” that everybody needs, it will place you in control of critical resources when they are needed the most. For more information on this strategy, visit www.JasonHartman.com.

9. Thou shaltprotect thine own FIR (Finances/Identity/Records)

One of the first things to happen during times of chaos is a drastic rise in crime and theft. Not surprisingly, identity theft is one of the fastest-growing classes of crime. Keeping your identity safe requires that some prudent precautions be taken so that you do not become an easy target.

One of the first things to do is limit your internet footprint to only the providers that you fully trust, and check your credit report regularly to see if anybody is accessing your information. In addition to this, it is important to keep all personal documents and information locked away where it cannot be easily accessed or stolen. Also make sure to shred any documents you are throwing away that contain personal information or account numbers. When safeguarding your identity, consider the fact that times of chaos may be dealt with by the government in a very oppressive fashion. It may become necessary to drop “off the grid” in order to protect your family. Take some time to consider what you will do if this course of action becomes necessary.

10. Thou shalt have a support network

Consider who you will be depending on for support in a time of chaos. Also consider who will be depending on you. If a rapid deterioration of economic and societal norms emerges, it will be very important to have a strong community of people in your local vicinity. Creating and maintaining this community is one of the strongest defenses that you can build against a crisis or catastrophe. By pulling together the skills, resources, and expertise of people in your general vicinity, it will help to organize your efforts, undertake larger tasks, and make you a less attractive target for looters. Make sure to keep networking . . . of all the commandments, this may be the most important for protecting your family.